COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Paul Thompson from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Spencer Machacek on Thursday in a swap of 25-year-old minor-league forwards.

Thompson has been assigned to the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.

Thompson has 35 goals and 29 assists in 170 career AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. He has four goals and three assists to go with 50 penalty minutes in 39 games this season.

Machacek has nine goals and 10 assists in 34 games with Springfield this season. Atlanta's first pick, 67th overall, in the 2007 draft, Machacek has two goals and seven assists in 25 career NHL games with the Jets/Thrashers franchise and 107 goals and 151 assists in 393 career AHL games.